Heavy rain helps tame wildfire danger in parts of Alberta

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 2:13 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Heavy rainfall implicit the past week has helped little wildfire hazard successful Alberta, but wildfire officials pass that galore regions stay connected precocious alert. 

Environment Canada reported Sunday that full rainfall amounts of much than 100 millimetres person been reported since Friday, with the heaviest rain falling on the foothills and implicit parts of eastbound Alberta.

Josee St-Onge, an Alberta Wildfire accusation officer, said the wildfire hazard successful cardinal and confederate Alberta is present overmuch lower.

"We didn't person wildfires burning successful the south, but we did successful cardinal Alberta, and they've received a batch of moisture, truthful that's bully for firefighters," she said.

"On a truly ample wildfire, that's not needfully capable to extinguish it due to the fact that the fires are precise ample and sometimes they pain truly profoundly into the ground. But it gives america a truly bully model to marque progress."

Areas successful acold bluish Alberta are experiencing highly adust and lukewarm temperatures, St-Onge said.

St-Onge said thunder showers could bring lightning that could commencement caller wildfires. 

Major wildfires that forced residents to evacuate for respective weeks remain progressive for the communities of Chipewyan Lake, Peerless and Trout Lake, Red Earth Creek and Loon River First Nation. 

Known arsenic the Red Earth East analyzable and composed of 10 wildfires centred successful the northeastern information of the Slave Lake Forest Area, it 1 of the largest successful the province. Located adjacent Red Earth Creek and Loon Lake First Nation, it is classified arsenic retired of power and is about 78,000 hectares successful size arsenic of Sunday.

About 670,000 hectares of onshore has burned since the commencement of wildfire play connected March 1. 

Currently, determination are 54 active wildfires burning successful the province as of noon Monday. Of those, 27 are considered retired of control and 4 are considered held. 

The bulk of cardinal and confederate Alberta stay nether occurrence advisories, including parts of Edmonton and the occurrence information risk is hovering betwixt debased and mean for the remainder of the week.

St-Onge besides warns astir the dangers that immoderate Canada Day solemnisation mightiness pose.

While she said it should instrumentality immoderate clip for wildfire information to crawl backmost up to high, due to the fact that of the clip it takes for precipitation to evaporate, temperatures successful Edmonton and surrounding regions are expected to lukewarm up importantly aboriginal this week.

"Every clip we person a agelong play oregon a holiday, we bash spot an summation successful quality caused wildfires, often from abandoned campfires oregon campfires that aren't extinguished properly," she said.

"We besides privation to punctual radical that similar to observe Canada Day with fireworks, that fireworks are not permitted connected Crown onshore unless you person written support from a wood officer."